


Willow Weeping

by Constance_Lirit



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 11:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3689787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Constance_Lirit/pseuds/Constance_Lirit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kakuzu x Lilith (OC) with a minor Kisame and Tobi x Bianca (OC). A Naruto spin on Sleepy Hollow. Lilith, a daughter of two to a wealthy farmer, has more than she bargains for when she is brought neck and neck against the Headless Horseman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Lilith and Bianca had been young girls collecting firewood when they met him. Their arms wrapped around bundles of sticks in the middle of the marshland, near to a place where they should not have been in the first place. It was still bright, despite the clouds covering the azure expanse of the sky at the time, keeping the sun away from the wet earth at their feet.  
"Hurry up." Bianca stated, a young and fair maiden with long blonde hair.  
"My feet are stuck in the mud." Lilith, her older sister, protested. Finding her brunette locks trapped in yet more branches when she tilted to an angle to try pull her feet out from the mud.  
Hearing the braying of a horse both girls seemed to flinch and stiffen, their heads turning as a large figure came staggering out from between an opening in the thicket. He was at least six foot six, his shoulder length dark-brown hair tied back and knotted against his collar. This strange man then stopped moving like a statue, his breathing thick and fast as he stared down from the small mound at the young girls looking back up at him. Behind him he could hear the yelling of men, and the yelping of barking dogs.

Neither of them said anything, nor moved, until he flicked his head over his shoulder to look behind them and then jump down to trudge past them. Lilith was the first to really move, her brown eyes, flecked with green, moving to look at the trail of blood which was following behind him. She knew she should ignore it, even start yelling like a banshee for whoever was chasing him to come this way, but part of her, most likely brought on by her mother, told her to go after him and see if he was alright.  
Bianca had other ideas however, and had started yelling and screaming with all her might. By that point Lilith had already gone after the estranged man, whom was adorned in leather and a long trench coat. He was clearly a man of importance, someone infamous if so many men where after him.  
"Wait, you're hurt!" the brunette called out, trying to find him as she held the sticks in her arms tightly. For a short period of time she had been searching, her mind racing as she slowly came to the conclusion that he was much faster than her. His strides must have been great and powerful, as he had gotten a fair distance, through the marsh and thick mud, before he had stopped to rest by a large and gnarled tree.

Gasping and tired Lilith dragged herself up another hill, her entire body and soul falling to her feet when something sharp was swung in her direction. Trembling she turned carefully to look between two tumour infected roots to see that the strange man had hidden himself between them, his long legs stuck out at an angle with his arms. He reminded her of the small-bodied harvest moon spiders that often hid in corners of the garden back home.  
"You are hurt." she stated, cautiously stepping away from the sword placed against the side of her neck.  
"Leave. You will attract attention." he spoke in a deep voice, his eyes narrowing when she tried to get closer.  
"Then let me in so I do not get seen." the brunette answered defiantly, managing to get about half way up his leg before his knee trapped her against the roots he was nestled between.  
"I will cut your head off." he hissed, bringing the sword up towards her once more.  
"I will cut your head off!" Lilith retorted, managing to squirm her way out from where she was trapped. Landing on his lap Lilith flinched when he winced and grunted, though she was quick to dodge his huge hand and press against him at an angle. He could not shift himself to grab her, and he could not afford to get up from his hiding place to remove her either, and so after a minute of grumbling he calmed down and just settled for boring death into her with a glare.

Shuffling about the brunette found use for her petticoat by tearing it at the edges, her hands pushing against the wound just underneath his ribs.  
"I am not a doctor, but I think you almost got pierced through the heart." Lilith spoke, finding that there was not enough fabric to wrap around his massive torso to stop the bleeding.  
"If you were a doctor you would be the demise, not the cure." he spoke in a rumbling voice, his emerald eyes shifting up when he heard a few branches snapping close by.  
"Why are those men after you?" she asked, attempting to tear more of her petticoat away from underneath her dress.  
"Because I am Kakuzu Kane." he replied in a dry yet proud manner.  
"The Hessian Horseman?" she asked, still keeping a firm eye on where his sword was behind her.  
"The one and the same." Kakuzu answered, hoping that perhaps his infamous name would rid himself of the small pest.  
"Well, my name is Lilith, Lilith Deluca." the young girl greeted him, weakly shaking a tassel on his shirt for courtesies sake. "Is it true you ride into battle and cut off heads, and eat marshal and general's hearts?" the brunette asked, peering up at him for a moment. He was not as attractive as women foretold, in fact he looked as gnarled, worn down and battle scorn as the trees around them, and the clothes he was adorned in.  
"Yes. And I do not stop at men, I kill children, animals and women alike." he answered in a deep and dark voice, but still she did not move or even flinch an inch.

The most he got from her was a pang of fear, which only swept itself from her features to turn into concern when she found more blood was coming out of him than she was keeping in.  
"There must be someone you do not kill. I was told you were married to someone named 'Iomproir Bais', is she from a distant land?" Lilith asked, glancing past his tattered coat to examine something around his waist.  
"Are you educated properly in this small town? That is Gaelic for 'Death Bringer'." Kakuzu murmured, his body tensing when she started pulling at his coat to try rip bits of fabric off of that instead.  
"Gaelic is not a language I can learn freely." Lilith replied, pushing against his wound on purpose to make him wince.  
For a moment Lilith stayed quiet but soon her eyes drifted down to his hands, she was not comfortable looking up at his face. "Are you from a far off land? You have tanned skin like me." Lilith asked, comparing their skin tone.  
"I am what my name foretells, I am German." he simply stated, keeping his head up so he could hear if anyone was coming.  
"I am from Italy, or at least, my mother is. So I was born like this, but my sister has white skin." the brunette explained, but he did not seem all that interested in her life story. "Perhaps your mother or father were from Italy before going to Germany?" Lilith added, before she let out a choked noise when he clamped his large palm over her face.

Pushing himself against the tree roots Kakuzu had began to shift his eyes and head slowly, he knew they were close now, but he could not get up to see where they would come from without losing the element of surprise. Holding onto his wrist Lilith had began to whimper when his nails dug into her skin, her heart jumping in her chest when a sword came down near her head. A furious clash of metal rung in her ears at that point, as Kakuzu pushed himself up to knock the soldier off of the tree and slice his head off on the way down. Gasping Lilith let out a cry of pain when he tossed her back down the gap at the bottom of the tree, her face furrowed together as she tried to pull herself back together.  
Above her she could hear yelling, barking, braying and the bitter clash of weapons coming together. Struggling to get up she found herself pinned to the tree when a sword came hurtling down towards her and went through the bottom of her dress. For several minutes there was nothing but violent yelling, until eventually there seemed to be a shout of victory, followed by a sickening crack. What Lilith could not remember was what happened next, everything seemed to go black when the head of the Hessian Horseman bounced down the hole onto her lap. The emerald eyes of Kakuzu cocked at two different angles, while blood began to pool on her legs. She could remember screaming, screaming with all her might until a soldier came to help her, having heard the outburst during their celebration of finally killing the mass murderer, Kane.

Kakuzu Kane had been buried where he was killed after that day, and Lilith dared not go anywhere near the forest without someone escorting her. Even by the ripe age of thirty-one she did not venture into the marsh alone, her mind still filled with the terrors of that fateful day, which haunted her from time to time. It did not help her anxiety either when rumours began to spread of a Headless Horseman riding through the forest, beheading anyone who was in his way every Halloween. These rumours had began to spread when a new headmaster had came to teach the children of the village.  
His name was Tobi Crane, and from what she had heard he was a man who was not only good with the children, but had gained the respect of the men, and more over the women, of the town. The town itself was a peaceful place, despite its foreboding history, dually brought on by the Hessian Horseman's grave being there, among other things.

Tobi Crane was apparently an unusual man, who was thin enough to be mistaken for a scarecrow when he past through the fields of the local farmlands, due to him being tall and exceedingly lank. He was not a man of looks, many had described him to be carrying a small head with a sniped nose, leading Lilith to believe he was no man, but some kind of herring. This strange figure had first approached the town of Sleep Hollow on a quiet, warm afternoon.

The first to see him was Kisame Van Brunt, who had been at the bar drinking with his men at the time. He was a strong man who was known to cause trouble, but he did not do anything with malice intent. He was more of a town hero, or class clown than someone foreboding and mean spirited. When he saw Tobi he was shocked by what he saw, he could not tell if this odd new figure was walking on shovels, or if they were in fact his feet. He had never seen anyone quite like him. He was thin, nothing more than skin and bone, his face stuffed in a book that did not allow him to see where he was going. Despite this he still managed to dodge barrels, stray cats and ladders however, and even take a moment to examine the young baker's daughter before sampling a piece of pie that she was carrying.

On whole he raised mixed emotions amongst the villagers, but they all seemed to agree that they had never seen anyone like Tobi Crane. The classroom was where he seemed to rule, and his way with the children was almost impressive. He taught with dignity, and had absolute sway over his pupils in any given argument, something their last teacher could not accomplish without force. Not once, or so Lilith had been told, had Tobi needed to use his cane to discipline a pupil. He was a social man, who was well known for going to pupil's houses for dinner to have one-to-ones with their mothers, something seldom preformed by any teachers Lilith had ever been in contact with. He was an impressive, conscience man it seemed.

It did not surprise Lilith, like Tobi, then that Kisame would begin to ridicule him for his abilities with not only the children, but with the women. Anything was fair sport for him, even if it was seemingly petty at times, or unnecessary. It did not bother Tobi however, as his reputation did not shudder even slightly in Kisame's wake. Lilith herself did not meet Tobi Crane until a week before a yearly family party at the estate, as she had come to the city with her several escorts and Bianca to buy supplies.

They had been introduced to him by their father, the richest farmer in the county, at the time and Lilith had to say, the rumours about him were not exaggerate. He really did have an air about him that made him both debonair, and walked with an atmosphere that was most obviously 'devil-may-care'.  
"It is nice to finally meet the two lovely ladies of the Deluca family." Tobi spoke politely, his hat coming off as he bowed before them, his thin hand taking Bianca's hand to kiss her knuckle. To which a powder-pink blush brushed over her rosy cheeks, her baby blue eyes turning away shyly. He really did have a way with women.  
"And you, Mr Crane." the blonde spoke, rolling her umbrella across her shoulder.  
"My, it is true what they say about you, Bianca. 'Once you've seen Bianca, you've lost your heart'." he spoke, admiring her plump, hourglass figure and petal pink dress.  
"Oh, why thank you." she giggled, turning to introduce Lilith.

The brunette had already left at this point, her figure disappearing with a few servants behind a building to head towards the farmer's stock exchange. On the way Lilith came across Kisame, who was clearly infuriated about something, as he was stomping his heel and scaring off a few chickens.  
"Kisame Van Brunt." Lilith calmly spoke, holding her green parasol gently.  
"Miss Deluca." he replied, jumping to attention as he tried to grab for a hat he did not possess on top of his dark, almost blue, hair.  
"Are you feeling well?" she asked, examining him as he twitched his head to the side to look at Tobi and Bianca walking together. "Ah, Bianca is only performing what she does best. She'll simply kiss and run, just as she does with everyone." Lilith spoke, sticking her finger into a chicken pen to play with a large rooster's waddle playfully.  
"I do not care for that attitude." Kisame replied delicately, Lilith was still a daughter of the richest farmer in the county, it would not do well to upset either of them.  
"I apologise, I was just trying to put your mind at ease." the brunette spoke, motioning for one of the servants to buy the rooster she had been examining.  
"I will not have my mind at ease until I have Bianca away from Tobi." he uttered, pulling his hose by it's reins to lead it away.  
"You would not have your mind at ease unless every man was shipped to Italy, and away from Bianca." Lilith retorted quietly to herself, sometimes her beauty was too much trouble.

With only a few days left before the banquet Lilith had noticed a rise in guests coming to and from the estate, namely Kisame and Tobi. Both contesting for Bianca's hand in interest, which only seemed to entertain Bianca more than it did woo her. It became distinctly clear to Lilith that Bianca was playing as many games with them as they were with her. Occasionally one of them would get a tissue thrown there way, and on more than one occasion she would kiss one of their cheeks to rile up the other. Kisame seemed to have a true emotional interest in Bianca, though Lilith was not sure about Tobi. He seemed to spend more time looking at their house, and its riches, than the diamond of the family itself, Bianca.

Lilith was not an unattractive girl, however her backseat position to Bianca's gorgeous face, and voluptuous body, made her the second option to gaining a chance of becoming a successor to the Deluca's fortune. Speaking of such things, Lilith had raised her head from her book to the sound of hooves clattering off of the cobbles outside. Her body rising from the window seat to look outside at Kisame escorting Bianca to the door, only to find Tobi was already there to greet her, and then take her to lunch.  
"This is getting ridiculous." Lilith sighed, her head turning when the door rattled open behind her and her mother came in. "Mother, you should not be out of bed." the brunette spoke, standing to see her mother was perched quite happily in her wheel chair with quilts and cushions surrounding her. It was not the most comfortable of contraptions, and so Lilith had been trying to make her a better one, but her mother insisted on getting into her momentary wheelchair anyway.  
"Nonsense, dear daughter. I am perfectly capable, it is those stairs that confine me to my room." her mother replied, while her hand moved to push her long waved ebony hair off of her breast.  
"I am still looking into a way of allowing you to move up and down the stairs without the aid of a servant." Lilith sighed, her hands shutting the book lightly before she slid it back onto one of the shelves close by.

Looking out of the window Lilith's mother glanced at Kisame attempting to punch Tobi, but he merely missed, when Bianca distracted him, and punched a tree.  
"Who do you think will claim Bianca's heart?" her mother enquired, laughing gently at the tomfoolery going on outside.  
"I do not think she is truly interested in either of them, or perhaps she is just trying to make Kisame jealous by strumming Tobi along in her little mind games." she answered, shaking her head slightly as she sighed.  
"At the banquet we shall see who dances with Bianca best. And do try to join in this time, Lilith, you are not marriage plates that are brought out on special occasions merely to look at." her mother stated, proceeding to leave the room once more. It seemed Tobi was a force to be reckoned with, but Lilith knew Kisame was not going to give up, and this party was not going to be a neutral zone for any standing party.  
It did not help that Bianca decided to smoulder the ashes of rivalry further by sending Tobi a personal summoning, which requested that he come to the party by offer of Bianca herself.

On the evening of the party Lilith was stood amongst the happy guests, her hair tied up into a bun that tumbled her brunette locks down the back of her neck elegantly. She was no match for Bianca, but she still stood out in her evergreen coloured dress that was ruffled at the back. Across the hall her mother and father sat talking to the earls and noblemen of the countryside, while Bianca herself was dancing feverishly with Tobi, who was proud of his abilities in dancing. To a corner of the room Kisame was sat quietly watching, bested yet again by the tall, thin man.  
Murmuring to herself the brunette decided to wander out to powder her nose, however she soon found herself out on the porch looking at the forest. It was quiet at the time, the trees rattling against the wind occasionally while the river close by trickled gently against the rocks. It was always this calm before midnight, but she would never dare leave the house after the wind began to become erratic. She was not superstitious, but the marsh was a dangerous place. If an animal did not attack you on the way through then the chances of you sinking into the marsh would be your downfall.

Leaning against the fence Lilith murmured to herself, her ears pricking to the distinct clatter of horse shoes coming over the hill. Widening her eyes the brunette watched it closely, her hand blindly swinging behind her for the front door as she continued to observe the entrance to the forest. She practically jumped out of her skin when someone came frantically riding up over the curve of the hill and into the garden.  
"Miss Deluca! Miss Deluca, get your father!" screamed the man, who took no time grinding his horse to a halt to jump off and pursue with great speed for the estate door she had just went through. At the time Kisame had been reciting the ghost story of the headless horsemen, which had Tobi trembling in his fine leather boots, when they both burst in.  
"And the name of this apparition is…" Kisame uttered, his arms up to spook anyone close by.  
"There has been a murder!" the noblemen screamed, his chest heaving as he came to an abrupt halt. "I and my men were coming through the forest when we were attacked by a dark figure on a black horse. He came at us like a bat out of hell. He took off their heads as we rode here trying to escape, and he disappeared back into the marsh!" he gasped, while the constable and several other men grabbed for torches and weapons.  
"Go, search the forest for this man, take the horses. The rest of you, go with Hardenbrook to check on the bodies." Lilith's father demanded, getting to his feet to try calm the women down.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues.

Quietly Tobi watched everyone trying to sort themselves out before he spoke, his voice directed at the father, but somehow his voice rung through the yelling to be heard by everyone.  
"Do you think it was the Headless Horseman?" he asked, gaining moderate silence from everyone in the room.  
"Do not speculate such preposterous things." Kisame grumbled, narrowing his gaze. "The stories are just old wives tales." he stated, sitting down with a heavy thud.  
"He rode in on a horse and took off their heads, that is not something to take lightly." the headmaster responded.  
"We do not know the facts, Tobi. Hardenbrook could just be over-exaggerating what has occurred." the father uttered firmly.  
"And if he is not, then what?" Bianca asked, pressing against Kisame with a helpless expression.  
"It is just a story, the Hessian Horseman is dead. Lilith, you were there, calm these fools down." the dark-blue haired man protested, turning his attention to the woman across the room.  
"Yes, it is silly to assume that this is the work of a ghost that has come back from hell to reap revenge. This is just a practical joke gone too far." the brunette spoke, heading for the door. "I am going to go pray for these murdered men, if there really are any." she murmured, reaching for her coat and umbrella.  
"You cannot go out alone." her father spoke, trying to stop her.  
"Then come with me, father, Kisame, Tobi. Anyone else that is not afraid of a silly little ghost story." Lilith replied, disappearing into the corridor.

Walking quietly through the forest, with the others who dared to come following behind, Lilith continued to walk along the open path heading towards the entrance to the forest. Pausing at the start of the thicket she then tensed, her head raising with uncertainty as she began to hesitate. Entering this marsh at night seemed to be easier said than done.  
"Why did you stop?" Tobi asked, nervously looking over her shoulder for a moment.  
"I was just looking at the sky. We will need torches, it's too dark and dangerous for us to go in like this." Lilith answered, watching as everyone began to light torches behind her. Above them the stars had become obscured by the thick clouds as it grew closer to midnight, and it was within this dank and dreary atmosphere that Lilith had never felt so melancholic.

No animals thrived in here properly, except mice, owls and the occasional frog or toad. Anything that did not need an abundance of light, or a proper food source lived here quiet happily, but even they looked starved and ragged. To try keep herself calm Lilith had began to murmur to herself, while everyone else seemed to jump at the slightest noise. Coming across the site of the murder a group had already came together there, they seemed shocked, mortified and afraid as Lilith came closer. It was true, as the stepped away to show the evidence, that their heads were gone.  
"Where are the heads?" her father asked, but the constable simply shook his head.  
"We do not know." he responded, hearing more people coming back from the marsh.  
"We could find no sign of the rider, or the horse. There were no hoof prints leading away either." one man spoke, while everyone grouped together to get a better look at the bodies and surrounding area.

Examining the ground Lilith counted the tracks, and could only find the tracks of their horse, and the four horses that had carried the men before the incident occurred. Lilith did not want to consider the possibilities, but it was alarmingly possible that the Headless Horseman really did exist and had taken their heads. Shaking the thought away the brunette pulled her parasol closer to her neck and looked back at the group still bobbing about.  
"Lilith?" her father spoke, glancing around. "Lilith?" he stated louder than before, pushing past the crowds to see she was standing in the distance. "Come here, girl." the small round man protested, before he flinched when Bianca yelled near his ear.  
"Lilith, look out!" the blonde screeched, while the brunette merely stood where she was with a look of great confusion. Feeling something breath bitterly down her neck the woman then tensed, a shudder running up and down her spine. Turning slowly she looked up at the man on the horse, her eyes widening slowly at the sight of him.  
"I was at the local pub when I heard of the murders that occurred here tonight. I came to investigate." the young man spoke, pulling his leg over his horse to drop down onto the ground.  
"And you are?" her father asked, taking a sigh of relief.  
"I am Hidan, a monk from the monastery close by." the strange man explained, showing them his prayer beads before he stopped to observe the bodies.

That next morning the search for the perpetrator continued, while everything else seemed to go back to normal. Tobi and Kisame had started to chase after Bianca again, while her father was juggling the crop plans for winter and the news he was receiving from the priest Hidan and the villagers. Meanwhile Lilith had been in the garden trying to keep her mind occupied on other things, but after what happened last night she just could not shake the foreboding feelings from her soul.

In an attempt to shake the nauseating from the pit of her stomach Lilith decided to take a trip to the tree where Kakuzu Kane had been slain, it was the only way she was going to put these conspiracies to bed. On the way there the brunette had come across the priest, Hidan, who was reciting a prayer by the side of the road where another body had been found later that night.  
"Four bodies." Lilith spoke, passing him. "I hope they catch this crook before he strikes again." she sighed, heading down the hill.  
"Where are you heading?" the silver haired man asked, catching up to her.  
"I am going to pay my respects to the grave of the 'Headless Horseman'. A body does not get up and walk, so if there really is a horseman then there will be an open grave." she replied calmly, observing him stashing his beads away.  
"I will come with you, the towns folk refuse to go there, so it has been difficult for me to find the burial site." Hidan uttered, following her into the woods before she paused at the entrance to examine the sky and trees.  
"Do you always stop here?" he asked, pausing for a moment.  
"Yes, how did you know?" Lilith enquired, cautiously examining him.  
"I saw you do the same last night." he explained calmly, giving her a moderately friendly smile.  
"What were you doing watching me? You were at the pub were you not?" Lilith enquired, narrowing her gaze.  
"I was observing from a distance to see if I would be of any use to the situation before I decided to step in." the albino uttered, stepping over a small brook when Lilith crossed over it and away from the safety of the path.  
"You mean you were watching from a safe distance to see if the headless horsemen would show, and behead someone before you risked your own neck." the brunette uttered calmly, pushing a branch away from her face as she ducked under a tree's low lying branches.

Lilith had not been at the site of Kakuzu's demise since she was little, the very patch of empty land still gave her chills.  
"This is the place?" Hidan asked, striding past her to look around.  
"He was killed here, and buried underneath the tree." Lilith stated, pointing to two different spots on the ground. "His head is in the church, however." she added, putting a flower down on the roots of the tree close to where the head had come down upon her.  
"I see no signs of the earth being disturbed around the tree." Hidan uttered, stepping around the large, gnarled tree to get a better look at it.  
"A body does not move without a head." Lilith uttered, running her hand over the tree's ruined bark.  
"Chickens can." the monk spoke, examining the ground where Kakuzu's body would have fallen.  
"The Hessian Horseman was no poultry animal." the brunette responded, finding no amusement in his jest.  
"Should you not be heading back?" Hidan asked, motioning towards the sky which was growing dark.  
"I'm going to the church in town to pray first." she spoke, taking a moment to examine the bleak sky also. "Thank you for escorting me, it was very kind of you." Lilith spoke, curtsying for him before proceeding on her way back to the main path.

By the time she had arrived at the church it was already dark, her mind racing as fast as her heart was beating as she quickly shut the church doors. It seemed like she would never become accustomed to being on her own outside near that forest once it began to get dark. Heading for the alter in the quiet and empty church Lilith kneeled and began to whisper quietly to herself.  
Lilith was not sure how long she had sat there for, but when she was aroused from her thoughts she almost gasped and tripped over as she got up to go for the door. She had not realised just how late it had become, and by the time she got to the bridge leading into the forest the brunette could not bring herself to step into the wooden tunnel.

She could not see anything past the entrance to the thicket, and she had nothing to light her way either. Gulping Lilith stared through the tunnel, part of her was ordering her to proceed while the other told her to go back to the church where it was safe. The farmer's daughter did not have to dwell on her options for long however, as she heard the rapture of horse's hooves coming towards her. Her first assumption was that it was Hidan, but when she allowed the rider to come into sight she almost jumped out of her skin.  
"Horseman!" she screamed, turning on her heel, still screaming, to run towards the church. She could hear the steady beat of the horse coming up behind her, her head snapping round quickly with fright to see that his hand was reaching out to snatch her up off of the ground. "Get away!" she yelped, ducking as she came to an abrupt halt and let the rider overtake her.

Flustered and terrified Lilith straightened up and ran for the church, her body flinging itself at the doors which she bounced off of slightly. When she attempted to open them however they would not budge, as if it was not letting her in, just in case she let the horseman in behind her. Pressing her back against the doors Lilith whimpered, her face furrowing slightly as she watched the horse jitter and bounce away from the gap in the gates. The horseman was swinging his sword in anger, while the beast he was riding upon continued to roar unlike any animal Lilith had ever been in contact with before.

Whimpering the woman slid down the door and bean to clutch at her hair in terror, her eyes clamping shut as she began to utter a hymn to herself. By the time she could fully understand what was going on a hand had taken her shoulder to shake her, her head flicking up as she looked up at the concerned face of Hidan with a look of traumatised horror.  
"What happened?" he asked, attempting to shake her back to her senses.  
"Horseman!" she spoke in a shrill manner, her nails digging into the fabric of his cloak. "The Headless Horseman, he tried to take me!" Lilith proclaimed in horror, her entire body shaking.  
"Calm down, miss Deluca." the albino stated, trying to console Lilith without getting his flesh clawed off by the distraught woman. "I will walk you home." he spoke, pulling her to her feet.  
"No, if we leave the gate he will come for us." Lilith spoke, refusing to move from the door.  
"A creature that cannot enter a church has no power over a priest. My rosary beads will protect us." the albino spoke firmly, pulling out the beads to show her. "I saw no horseman on my way through the forest, that is proof enough." Hidan added, tugging her quivering figure towards the gate. "I will go to the bridge and prove to you that it is safe." the albino then offered, letting her go to leave the safety of the church garden.

Hesitantly Lilith watched as he headed towards the bridge calmly, the woman gulping as she looked around nervously for the horseman. Heading out from the gate Lilith cautiously came towards the monk, however she stopped dead in her tracks when the braying of a horse came from the tunnel.  
"Run!" Lilith screeched, but it was too late by that point. As soon as Hidan had turned to belatedly move away from the bridge Kakuzu had come out from the darkness with his sword drawn. All Hidan had time to say was 'Lord protest me from' before his breathless statement was cut short. Backing up towards the church Lilith attempted to get back inside, however the doors proceeded to lock themselves once more.

Behind her Kakuzu had torn the heart out of Hidan's chest to put into his own, and had placed the albino's head onto his shoulders. His horse being led towards the entrance of the church before it began to whiny and refuse to go any further, Kakuzu himself could not go any further it seemed. The expression on his face growing bitter and furious before he stopped to remember Lilith was still there. Silently they stared at each other, his hand rising to point at the church in a demanding manner. Shuddering Lilith looked at the doors and then back at him, her hands weakly pulling at the handles to show him it would not open.

Narrowing his gaze Kakuzu got back up upon his horse and turned to race off back into the forest, his horse kicking itself back onto its hind quarters as he pointed at the church one last time and then at her. She had a feeling if she did not do as he commanded she was going to be his next victim. It was not until that next afternoon that Lilith managed to go home and contemplate what she was supposed to do having finally managed to sleep in the safety of her own bed.  
Laying, staring at the ceiling, Lilith contemplated it quietly. They were now investigating the death of the monk, who had now also died mysteriously, and lost his head and heart. Lilith was just glad they did not suspect her of doing the heinous crimes, but they had questioned her for hours about what had happened outside the church. She suspected no one believed her story however, it was too far-fetched and ridiculous to believe unless someone had been there to witness it for themselves.

Sighing softly Lilith pondered what Kakuzu had been pointing at, but it did not take her long to come to the conclusion that he was looking for his head. He could not get his head because it was in the church however, and that was what perplexed Lilith more. What did he need with other peoples' heads and hearts if he knew where his was already? Thinking about it for a while longer the brunette got up and dressed herself to head downstairs for breakfast, the more recent events causing her to flinch at any sudden or unexpected movements.  
"Marry me." Tobi spoke, attempting to profess his love to Bianca.  
"Marry me!" Kisame retorted from the other side of the poor blonde.  
"Lilith!" Bianca greeted her sister, her body practically being thrown at the brunette. "I heard you were attacked by the murderer." she spoke, looking her up and down for any scratches or mortal flesh wounds.  
"Yes." Lilith replied, heading for the table to sit down and clutch her throbbing head.  
"So you've had a change of heart? You believe in that superstitious nonsense?" Kisame asked, furrowing his brow.  
"A change of heart?" the farmer's daughter enquired gently, pondering such a thing for a moment. "A change of heart." she then stated firmly, getting back up having just sat down.  
"Lilith?" her sister enquired, watching her sudden energetic movements carefully.  
"The horsemen is taking hearts because he wants to enter the church to get his head back. He took the monk's head as a 'change of mind' and his heart because it represents a 'change of heart'. He thinks if he changes who he is that it will trick god, and he will let him into the church to get his heart and head back!" Lilith firmly explained, pausing for a moment. "But it has not worked, so he…" she uttered, slowing down once more. He wanted her to get his head and heart for him, since he could not do it for himself.

Scurrying away from the dining hall Lilith proceeded to pull on her petticoat and grab her umbrella, however before she could leave the door a chest blocked the exit.  
"Miss Deluca." an officer of the law spoke, watching her back up into the hallway. "You are under house arrest until the murderer is caught." he stated, causing Lilith to widen her eyes.  
"Are you accusing me of the murders?" she asked, however he simply shook his head.  
"No, but for your own safety we do not want you to leave the estate. There is fear that the murderer will pursue you." he explained, shutting the door behind him as he took off his hat.  
"I see." Lilith replied calmly, heading back into the dining hall. "Would you like a cup of tea?" the brunette asked, glancing at the man as he sat down on one of the chairs.  
"Please." he replied calmly, his legs stretching out as he became comfortable. Kisame and Tobi by this point had settled down, while Bianca had started batting her eyelashes at the officer. She would not stop at anyone, would she?  
"Am I able to go to church?" Lilith enquired, looking over at the blond man with baby blue eyes curiously.  
"It is a Sunday, m'am. The day of rest, un." he replied calmly, knowing full well she was attempting to escape the house. There was no rest for the wicked however.


	3. Final Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it continues...

Having spoken to him for a while, or at least Bianca had been talking to him, it soon became clear that the officer, Deidara, was an Irish man with a strange speech impediment. He was nice enough, however he was new to the job and was not quite sure what to truly do with himself but sit quietly nodding and 'un'ing' while someone spoke to him. Lilith's mother had taken a liking to him rather quickly as well, as she was soon fawning over him until he was red-raw in the face with embarrassment.  
"Is he not the sweetest thing?" her mother enquired, stroking the long locks of blond hair, that had been tied up in a pony tail before she got a hold of him. "Lilith, Bianca is about to have singing lessons with Tobi, why not join in and show Deidara how good you are at singing?" her mother spoke, trying to coax her into interacting with him a little more.

Lilith could tell her mother was trying to set her up, or at least take her mind off of what happened last night, but she was not sure Deidara was at that age where a thirty-one year old was attractive  
"Mother…" Lilith began to speak calmly, however she was cut off soon enough.  
"I will have none of your protests, now go learn how to sing with Bianca." her mother retorted almost instantly, her hands shooing the brunette over to the piano.  
Taking a deep breath Lilith quietly hummed along beside Bianca, attempting to make the blonde stand out over her. Her mother was having none of that however, and was soon poking her with an old black-board stick when she was not singing loud enough to be heard.

Finally escaping the awkward situation Lilith blushed slightly when Deidara commented on her singing, saying it was 'lovely'. Though, it was probably just him being nice, Lilith was better known for her dancing than her singing, though she did find some relief in the short moment of escapism brought on by the singing lesson. Though, that did not remove the fact that she soon had to face the problem of Kakuzu.  
No doubt he was going to come after her, maybe not tonight, since she was safe within her home, but soon. Pondering that thought Lilith stopped by a window to look out onto the farm fields, could Kakuzu's spirit come this far out from the woods? Even if he did he would not be able to get her, she was inside.

Later that night Lilith sat in her room reading a book quietly, her head turning to look out of the window beside her bed from time to time to watch the trees flicker in the wind. Tonight the weather was worse than usual, and part of her was sure it was fuelled by Kakuzu's fury, but at least she was safe here.  
Turning out her light Lilith put her book away and began to settle down to sleep, however during the middle of the night the brunette was rudely awoken by screams, the sound of wood and metal being destroyed. Jolting to her feet Lilith ran for the door and came down the stairs as fast as possible.

Her father was at the bottom of the steps, his face asunder with fear and confusion as he turned to look at his daughter coming down the stairs. Her head quickly whipping to the side to see her mother's wheelchair knocked over close by.  
"The Headless Horseman, he took your mother!" her father cried, while Lilith ran back up stairs to find her night gown.  
"Where is Deidara?!" Lilith yelled, tugging on her shoes before she past by her paralytic father once again.  
"He took his head…" her father whimpered, still stuck to the floor on his knees.  
"Stay here, I am going to get help!" the brunette stated, running out and off the porch to race down the dirt track towards the forest. Suddenly the darkness did not bother her, the potential danger was null and void, and the thought of meeting the Headless Horseman simply made her blood boil. Charging down the path Lilith flicked her head from left to right, her feet nimbly carrying her over jutting branches and over murky puddles. If it was his head he wanted, it was his head he was going to get. It was not going to come to him in once piece if her mother was harmed however.

Entering the hollow of the forest Lilith had began to run out of breath, a fair disadvantage for her if Kakuzu did decide to appear before her. He did not make his presence known however, and Lilith eventually made it to the church with only an ounce of breath left in her. Pulling open the doors the brunette tugged and pushed at the church table until it moved to the side and fell off the stairs with a heavy clatter. Pulling open the trap door underneath it she was met with the horrible smell of rotting flesh and the blood of the sick.

Attempting to keep herself together Lilith pushed her hands into the dark gap and clutched her hands around a heavy wooden casket, her body straining to pull it up and onto the marble floor. Examining it, while holding her breath most of the time, Lilith pulled a hair clip from her locks and began to try pick open the box.  
Lilith's face soon went from joy to horror when the box was opened and blood began to seep out in a thick consistency.  
"Oh, oh my…" she spoke, flicking open the lid while trying not to get any of the blood on her hands or clothes. Inside she was shocked to find that the head was not just bone, but as fresh as the day it was cut off. These were probably the effects of the horseman's curse at night. Gulping Lilith dipped her hands in and pulled the head out, her face furrowed and turned away just in case it decided to fly at her, or bite her. It not move however, clearly just as dead as the rest of Kakuzu should have been.

From what she could tell the soldiers from that night had cut his lips open, splitting both sides of his cheeks in half. He looked just as horrible as the first day she met him as well. Something was different about the way he looked now however, he did not have an ounce of peace on his face but he did look somewhat handsome. Was this what the women meant when they said he was attractive?  
It must have been a thought that was acquired with age, because she thought he was less than 'lovely' as a child. Shaking the thoughts from her head Lilith got up and pulled the gory head to her chest before heading for the door, but she stopped when she heard the beating of a heart behind her. She had forgotten his heart.

Heading back she kneeled and dipped her hand back into the small bath of blood, her entire body shrivelling with disgust when she took a hold of the heart and was met with it beating in her palm. Stuffing it into her pocket where she could not feel it beating Lilith proceeded to leave once more, her head turning to look up at a statue for a moment before she stopped. It looked like it was looking down upon her with sadness, perhaps even a forlorn expression.  
This was probably something she would regret doing in the afterlife; however it was a choice between keeping his head here and allowing him to continue too murder innocent people, or give him his head back and hopefully put him to rest. "Sorry, but it's either this or the death of more innocent people." Lilith stated, glancing down at the head nestled against her chest.

Breaking off into a run once more Lilith headed into the forest, her feet carrying her as fast as they could towards the large gnarled tree where she assumed he would be. Breaking out into the clearing she glanced around, her body stiffening when she spotted him stood by the tree with her mother at his feet, like some kind of bounty hunter waiting for his reward. Stopping at a fair distance away from him Lilith glanced to her mother, who was pale as a sheet and resting against the tree at an angle unconscious.  
"You do not get your head until I know my mother is okay!" she stated loudly, watching him calmly walk away from her mother to stand by his horse. Cautiously Lilith went to her mother's side, her hand shifting quickly to see if her vital signs were okay.

It seemed her mother was alright, and would probably wake up soon enough if she did not see Kakuzu again and faint once more.  
Standing up Lilith pulled the head from her chest and aimed it for the horseman, whom reached out his hands to grab his head as soon as it was thrown. Hesitating for a moment Lilith glanced down at her mother and then at him.  
"Actually, no. You cannot have your head back until you give me and my mother an escort home! You have some nerve taking her from her home like that, she can not even walk!" the brunette barked, drawing the head closer to her body again.

It did not seem to go down well with Kakuzu however, who had soon drawn his sword. He paused when she held his head up to use it as a shield though, and hesitated further when she threatened to toss it into the river close by. To her surprise it seemed to work after that, his sword was drawn and he had mounted his horse quietly. It did not seem to be as calm as him though, and was quite happily refusing to let Lilith push her mother onto the back of the ebony steed. After a few minutes of bickering Lilith had finally had enough and gave the horse a first kick in the leg.  
"Stay still!" she demanded, glaring at the horse as it twisted its head to snort at her bitterly. Feeling her mother's weight disappear Lilith glanced up in some confusion, her eyes blinking when she found that Kakuzu had gotten bored of waiting and had picked her mother up and set her down against his chest. "If you drop her…" Lilith murmured, putting the head down by the tree to climb up onto the back of the horse. "And no funny business, I still have your heart, and I doubt you want anything to happen to that." the brunette murmured, gripping onto the saddle. This was probably the stupidest thing she had ever done, or perhaps the greatest accomplishment she would ever perceive. Forcing a spirit, that is infamously known for its power and killing of multiple people, to give her and her mother a lift home on pain of death.

Getting home was a simple task, although Lilith found that if Kakuzu did have a head he would probably have bashed it off of several tree branches on the way here. The woman knew not to push her luck at this point, if she overstepped her boundaries he was more than likely going to kill her before he went back to his resting place to finally be at peace. Carrying her mother to the door Lilith took the heart out from her pocket and glanced at it, it seemed to beat when she held it, which was interesting.  
"Here." Lilith spoke, holding up the heart, to which he took as fast as possible to examine. "You have no head, how can you see what you are looking at?" the brunette asked, though he obviously could not reply.

He did not stick around to look like he was contemplating it either, as his horse made for the hill leading down to the forest and he was gone in a matter of minutes into the darkness.  
"Lilith?" her mother spoke wearily, causing her to turn and go to her mother's side.  
"Are you okay, he did not hurt you, did he?" the brunette asked, checking her mother over one more time.  
"No, I fainted after he burst into the house." she replied, clinging onto Lilith as she was taken back into the house. Her father was in a heap on the floor at that point, his legs tucked up against his stomach. He came to life quickly however upon seeing his wife and daughter were safe, and the servants were sent running to fetch anything that would be needed to patch up Lilith and her mother's minor scratches.

For several years after that everything was peaceful, and not a single murder or sighting of the headless horse had been noted since then. The tales persisted and Sleepy Hollow became even more infamous than before, bringing with it a rise in tourists who would travel to their little town to try spot the horseman for themselves. On a slow moving evening Lilith had been walking through the forest at a casual pace, her arm holding onto a basket as she watched Bianca's children run wildly along the path in front of her. Tobi had soon left the town after the several murders along the creek and had not been seen since, some speculated that the horseman had gotten to him one foggy night. Lilith, however, surmised that he had left quietly after Bianca had come out to say she was marrying Kisame.

Her mother had more recently past away last year, and so Lilith was without anyone to truly care for, which was why she had taken to being a nanny to Bianca's children. It was a hectic chore that would only make her hair turn grey faster, but it was still something she looked forward to. Especially when her two sons were not mimicking their father's clown-like behaviour, or rough-housing one another. The very sight made Lilith both glad and sad that she had never managed to settle down. At the age of thirty-seven however, she was considered too old for such a proposal, and no young man would bat an eyelid at her, let alone any man older than herself. She could never win it seemed.

Hearing an outburst at the very gate to the house Lilith raised her head to see both the sons yelling at one another.  
"My sword is gone, you lost my sword!" one of them plighted, batting their hand at the other.  
"You lost the sword!" the other retorted, responding with their own weak flick of the wrist.  
"Did you have it in the forest?" Lilith enquired, watching as both stopped to look up at her.  
"Yes." they stated in unisons, watching her turn to head back down the path.  
"Then go have supper, I will go find it." she stated, shooing them away into the house. With nothing in the forest to specifically fear, now that the horseman was gone, Lilith had no qualms in entering the poorly lit area.

It still held its ground in bringing brooding fears to the back of her mind, but she had found it easy to push those feelings aside to find the sword. Those two tearaways were far worse than any spooky old forest would ever be when they started to bicker. She had not found the sword until she was at the entrance to the hollow, the wooden weapon stuck in a puddle and supporting a frog which only croaked at her until she picked up the hilt and made it hop away.  
Straightening up Lilith straightened her dress and turned to proceed back along the path, however she soon paused when she heard something coming down the path. Moving to the side the brunette waited patiently, she would rather wait by the brook for the rider to pass than be ran over by the horse and carriage, or splashed by the puddles.

Furrowing her brow Lilith played with her glasses slightly and looked back up at the fog, where was this horse? Sighing she soon decided to chance her luck and began to walk once more back towards the estate, her head turning now and again to see if the horse was in sight yet. Upon turning her head for the third time Lilith stopped dead in her tracks when the bulky figure of the rider came into view, and soon her eyes were widening as she began to jog, and then run.  
"Lilith!" she heard the familiar voice shout, making her only run all the more faster. There was not much point running when an attacker was pursuing on a horse, but she had tried to escape all the same.

Before she could really do anything to fight him off Kakuzu had already picked her up off the ground, his iron grasp yanking her up by the collar to throw her onto the saddle in front of him.  
"Put me down!" Lilith wailed, thumping her fists against his chest frantically.  
"Hah, you fell for it again!" a rumbling voice roared with laughter, causing her to stiffen and flick her head up.  
"Kisame Van Brunt! That was not, and never will be, funny!" the brunette yelled angrily, hitting him harshly in the chest with the blunt end of the fake sword. Pulling the pumpkin from his head Kisame chortled further, only grinning when Lilith's face contorted angrily.  
"Do you think it will trick everyone at the party this evening?" he asked, pulling the reins on his horse to have it carry on towards the estate.  
"If you mean give I and my father a heart attack, then yes." Lilith responded sourly.

Every year Kisame took it as his job to dress up as the horseman and spook everyone, to which most took it with a light heart, all except Lilith. The whole joke always caused her to have restless nights, and if she did manage to sleep she would wake up abruptly in a cold sweat. Tonight was going to be different however, as Lilith was going to make sure Kisame got his own comeuppance.  
Entering the stable yard that night Lilith calmed down the horses and took out a small black horse, one that she had borrowed for the occasion. Slowly she took him out and glanced around before she pulled a pumpkin over her head and giggled softly, she was probably too old for practical jokes, she would never be too old for revenge.

Waiting she watched as Kisame went into the house and made several people scream, and then she waited until the music began and everyone was none the wiser. Now it was her turn. Creeping towards the door Lilith kicked her horse gently and made it rear up, the very noise making the music quieten and the laughter shudder to a messy halt. She could see one of the kids peep out the window before shooting back behind it, and then more clattering occur as she jumped down and stomped towards the door to bash it open.  
"Who dares mock the Hessian Horseman!?" she enquired, entering the house with a small carved squash stuck over her head.  
"The real horseman!" Bianca squawked, trembling behind a chair.  
"Do not be ridiculous, it is just Lilith. What man would wear a dress in the eyes of the Lord!" her father snapped, pointing his finger at her.  
"I am from hell, where the Lord cannot see!" Lilith barked back, pulling the wooden sword out from her belt to hold it above her head.

The laughter seemed to die away once more after that, as Lilith thought she had tricked them, however she let her raised arm faultier slightly when Bianca began to tremble and point to something behind Lilith. Turning slowly Lilith looked at the chest of someone much larger than herself, her head then slowly tilting up as she turned and began to step back and away.  
"N-Nice try!" Lilith stammered, trying to pull herself together. "You cannot trick me again, Kisame. I know it is you!" she plighted, raising her sword to point it at him.  
"Kisame?" Bianca enquired, turning to look around her before laughing nervously for a moment. "You gave us a fright, again!" she protested, while Lilith merely pulled the squash from her head and went into the living room.  
"My game was ruined." the brunette grumbled, putting the carved vegetable down to place a candle inside and put it next to the rest of the decorations.  
"Kisame, old boy, come in." her father spoke, flicking his hand.  
"And shut the door, the draft is quite terrible." Bianca added, dodging the two boys as they ran past her to take their sword from Lilith.

Stood by a glass punch bowl Lilith had been in a hazy momentary daydream when Kisame came over to her, courteously he bowed with one arm behind his back and held his other hand out for her to take. Broken from her thoughts the brunette looked at his hand as though it were alien, her head and eyes slowly tilting up to look at the pair of darkened, crooked rings carved into the pumpkin. It seemed almost unbelievable that he had actually offered her a hand to dance with, and, as she reached out to take his large, gloved hand, she almost expected him to wince away and mock her for thinking he would really offer himself to her for even a minute.

Striding to the centre of the room they shifted in time with one another like two flames would caress off of one another, his cape drifting by his ankles like Lilith's dress did in sync. Quietly Lilith had been humming to herself to keep to the same pace as him, her cheeks tingeing a slight pink when he moved her closer to his chest.  
"Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin." he murmured, hearing her murmuring stifle.  
"Pardon?" she asked, glancing up at him curiously.  
"That was the song you were humming, was it not?" he responded calmly, while Lilith's eyes began to flicker with embarrassment.  
"I-I must go and powder my nose." the brunette spoke, breaking away from him to quickly go to the door.

Diverting herself on the way down the corridor Lilith had gone upstairs, her heart still fidgeting in her chest as she took in a deep breath to try calm herself. She had not expected Kisame to recognise such a song, it was something that he seemed to only respond to with a certain kind of disdain, one that filtered through him from past memories of Tobi.  
"It is rude to keep a man in waiting." spoke a deep voice, causing her to turn and look at the large figure of Kisame. A certain amount of fear soon came over her upon looking at him, he seemed different from before As though his air had changed, and was replaced by a much darker, almost cynical, aura. It did not seem to escape his eyes that she looked slightly afraid now, as her mind began to question if she had been willingly, but unconsciously, lured her away from everyone so that he may distribute a fair punishment for her singing in his presence.  
"I apologise." Lilith responded, her head shrinking against her neck when he raised his hand to cup her jaw lightly.  
"There is no need to be." he spoke, taking her hand to pull her towards him. "It is quiet here, let us continue what had began." he then uttered, but Lilith did not move. It was far from Kisame to be eloquent with his speech, leading her to believe that this was someone foreign to her. Every word was harshly spoken by this man, and yet his words drifted over her ears like a warm breath.

As they remained hand-in-hand Lilith gazed at his clothes, despite their worn and tattered appearance they were probably hand sewn especially for him.  
"Do you not want to dance?" he asked, still stood waiting for her to proceed.  
"I do not dance with a face I do not know." she answered, slipping out of his grasp.  
"You are a hard woman to get." he uttered, pausing for a moment before he raised his hands to slide the pumpkin from his head. What was revealed shocked Lilith into silence, the trapped air at the back of her throat stopping her from screaming. "Do I frighten you that much?" Kakuzu asked, boring his emerald and red duel eyes down upon her from where he stood.  
"I gave you your head, and your heart. You should have been put to rest." Lilith stated, quivering out of her stupor.  
"I am not at peace yet." the man simply spoke, placing the pumpkin down onto the back of a wooden seat.  
"What else must you take?" Lilith asked, knitting her eyebrows together.  
"I ponder that myself." the Headless Horseman uttered, bowing to her. "For now I simply want to dance. I have not satisfied my guilty pleasures in a long time, and I see the same in you." he murmured, offering her his hand. "And do sing that song you were humming before, a dance has no means without music." he added, watching her slowly pace across the floor to take his gloved hand.  
"If it will put you closer to ease." Lilith uttered, keeping to formal distance as they began to step around the room.

Carefully watching their feet the brunette drifted across the floorboards quietly, her eyes occasionally moving to watch their feet when they drifted out of rhythm.  
"Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in." Kakuzu murmured down onto the shell of her ear, attempting to coax her into humming for him. "Let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone." he continued, until finally she began to murmur the tune quietly. Over time she got a little louder and they slowly drifted into unisons like before, her mind soon cast a blank as her thoughts were diminished to nothing but the movements carried out before her.  
"Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn." the woman mumbled, finding herself resting the side of her temple against Kakuzu's chest like before. The aroma of ash and soil seeping through her nostrils as she breathed in his scent, it was all so hypnotising.  
"Touch me with your naked hand." the phantom whispered, bringing her hand up towards his cheek. His skin was cold and soft to the touch, despite his outward appearance. Underneath her hand it felt as though she was brushing her palm over a smooth surface after it had just rained. And yet, when she took her hand away, her skin was dry.  
"Touch me with your glove." Lilith soon responded, feeling the rough leather run across her jaw.

Leaning towards her Kakuzu allowed his calm featured face to hover over her own far more sheepish expression, his breath was like evaporating water on a day that had just seen rain, it made her feel as though she was experiencing an nonexistent sensation of suffocation or drowning. When Kakuzu pursed his lips to hers Lilith could feel her skin prickle, it was not quite an experience that she could associate with comfort or dissatisfaction, but in fact an experience that she was not quite familiar with, and all the more shocked by.

Taking a step back Lilith had found her back against the cold surface of a wall, the Hessian Horseman following her until his weight pushed her into the wood. As Kakuzu bit her lip ever so slightly he watched her eyes flutter open, though her next reaction gave him, for once, a fright. In a mere moment the brunette had slammed herself against the wall, her eyes wide and her body trembling in panic as she breathed in heavily.  
"What is wrong?" Kakuzu asked, appearing rather annoyed by her sudden relapse back into frantic fear.  
"S-Sorry." she stammered, pulling her hands together to try ease her shaking. "I had a sudden flashback to that day." she went on, pressing her hands into her palms while taking deep breaths.  
"So you still remember that day." the horseman spoke, reaching out his hand to pull her chin up to have her look at him.

Fidgeting her eyes slightly Lilith pouted ever so slightly, her hands pressing against his chest when he went to kiss her for the second time.  
"It is hard to forget." the brunette responded, feeling that same spark from his lips when they came together.  
"I can help you forget." he uttered, running his hand up towards the back of her head to undo her bun.  
"How?" Lilith asked, feeling Goosebumps seep through her skin when his hand ran down her spine.  
"Come with me." he stated, playing with her jaw.  
"I cannot." she replied, pulling her face out of his hand.  
"What ties have you left here?" Kakuzu enquired, narrowing his gaze slightly. "You have no mother to care for." he added.  
"That is not it." Lilith stated, pulling away from the wall to slide out from between it and Kakuzu's chest.  
"Have you a husband?" the horseman then asked far louder than before, his hand twitching beside his sword as though he was ready to disembody the head of every man in the village. "Do you not have interest in me, is this just a game to you?" Kakuzu asked once more, directing his irritation onto her now.  
"It is not my choice to make to leave the world of the living." Lilith stated firmly, while he paused for a moment to look at her.  
"Then I will take you there myself." the Hessian Horseman stated, unsheathing his sword from the belt bound around his waist.

With eyes widening, and her heart quickening, Lilith gasped and shifted when the sword came down upon her. Running around the room the brunette was blocked off from the door by Kakuzu, her feet sliding on the floorboards as she turned to try escape out the window. Attempting to pull it up the woman could see his shadow increasing in size behind her, and quickly, as the sword lunged down towards her, she stepped out of the way to find herself backed up into a corner of the room. Shaken and mortified Lilith put the back of her wrist up in front of her eyes, incoherent babble soon coming out from under her breath.

Raising his arm up above his head Kakuzu stared at her, aiming for a clean sweep against her neck but as Lilith became all the more frantic he seemed to hesitate slightly. She had started to stressfully sniff and weep as panic set in all the more, her arm shakily sliding down her face as she peeped out from behind it to look up at him nervously. The weapon had not come down upon her yet, and with confusion and terror in her eyes she looked up at him as he looked back down with an expression of hesitant bloodlust.

Slowly his arm came down to sit by his side, his emerald and crimson eyes boring into her.  
"I will allow you to come quietly." Kakuzu icily spoke, sliding his sword back into his belt.  
"Come quietly?" Lilith stuttered, still cradling herself between the two walls in the corner.  
"Yes. Or would you rather I took your head off first?" the Hessian Horseman asked, reconsidering his decision to let her breathe for a little bit longer.  
"I do not want to spend eternity with a man who merely wants to elope with me in a spur of the moment. There is no certain happiness in that." the brunette explained, pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve to clean away the tears and ruined makeup from her face.  
"Then what do you expect of me?" Kakuzu questioned, narrowing his gaze once more.  
"I could never find happiness in an arranged marriage like Bianca's, even now I can see their love is not as lively as when Kisame first began attempting to win her heart." Lilith murmured, seeing that everyone from the party was beginning to depart.  
"So you want me to woo you?" the man asked. "I am the Hessian Horseman., I decapitate and slaughter anyone in my path. Do you truly expect me to show you romance?" he enquired, taking her chin to look her in the eyes.  
"If you cannot do that, how can you accomplish love?" Lilith asked, pulling her head out of his cold hand. "I would sooner be the village fool than go with someone who cannot accomplish simple expectations. " she stated firmly, while his hand came down on her hip to keep her from attempting to strut off.  
"You run my veins dry, woman." he stated coldly with a rumbling voice, his head tilting down towards her. "Very well. I will play your game, however, for now, we must depart." the tanned horseman stated, capturing her lips with a slightly aggressive undertone.

Pushing the pumpkin back over his head Kakuzu headed out to go to the front door, while Lilith pulled herself together and went after him to make sure he did not try to kill anyone on the way out.  
"Thank you for coming." Bianca stated, waving her hand as Kakuzu stepped past them. Kisame was beside her at this point, his eyes following the masked man and Lilith as she followed him out the door. The two of them watching as he headed for the stables and disappeared inside to get his horse. Lilith practically jumped when the ebony beast came charging out and did not stop to even let him politely thank them for the evening, its head tossing against the reins as Kakuzu pulled Lilith up onto the front of the saddle.  
"Lilith, where are you going?!" Bianca yelled, though Lilith had no time to respond as he horse overtook a carriage and disappeared into the darkness.  
"Now, if the Headless Horseman was not dead, I would have surely thought that was him making off with your sister." Kisame stated, while Bianca continued to look frantic.  
"Who was that man?" she asked through a sharp exhale of air.  
"I do not know, perhaps Lilith will enlighten us upon her return." Kisame responded, pulling Bianca back inside by means of an arm around her waist.

The next morning Lilith's shawl was found, and close beside it a shattered pumpkin strewn around hoof prints, but there was no trace of the woman's body when they scoured the river close by. Rumours continued to persist that Lilith was still alive, residing in the arms of the stranger that made off with her that very evening. Many refused to believe such nonsense, for they knew that she had been spirited away by the Headless Horseman.


End file.
